In an example of “What Not to Vacate,” the South Dakota Supreme Court just vacated an arbitration award because the arbitrator dared to apply a South Dakota statute allowing attorneys’ fees to the claimant. A week earlier, the Ohio Supreme Court also vacated an arbitration award for granting a remedy that the court found exceeded

I see more and more arbitration agreements that contain their own limitations period (the timeline for bringing a dispute in arbitration).  Are all of those necessarily enforceable?  No. 

In Order of United Commercial Travelers of America v. Wolfe, 331 U.S. 586 (1947), the Supreme Court held that contracts may shorten the statute of limitations

In a fascinating decision, the Second Circuit has ruled that an internet merchant cannot compel arbitration with a consumer, when it only emailed the consumer the arbitration agreement after the consumer agreed to the purchase, without any requirement that the consumer affirmatively assent to the term.

In Schnabel v. Trilegiant Corp., __ F.3d __,